A survey by Israel’s leading food chain Blue Square shows that 75% of the purchases at the supermarket “are unplanned and based on the reaction of senses and scent,” according to Blue Square CEO Yoram Dar.
The survey shows that 60% of the purchases are made at the shop’s sales points, and that despite having a prepared list of items to buy, “customers do not list the products by brand but rather by category.” Choosing the brand is usually done near the shelf, “hence an efficient category-management procedure emphasises a suitable and attractive presentation of the product, which in turn increase the unplanned, impulse purchase habit by customers.”
Dar maintains that category management procedure has a significant impact on the performance of both a single store and the chain, cutting operation costs, minimising stocks, and providing a wider range of products which all contribute to increased sales volume and profits.
By Aaron Priel, just-food.com correspondent
